A Private Mission
by suzie2b
Summary: Hitch and Tully go to meet a contact.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **A Private Mission**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Troy had decided to send Hitch and Tully into** **Ram-Allah** **to meet with a contact. Troy had intended to go in himself, but was warned to stay away. His face was well known in town, and though it was known as neutral territory, the Germans also had contacts that would be watching for him.**

 **Troy put his foot on the fender of the jeep. "I don't like it, but I don't have a choice. You two have never been in Ram-Allah before." He handed two passes to them. If you're questioned, you're just two privates with twenty-four hour passes. Just pick up the information and get out of there. And above all else…" He pointed a finger at each of them for emphasis. "Stay out of trouble."**

 **Hitch grinned. "You can count on us, sarge."**

 **Tully nodded. "We'll be in and out of there before anyone knows we were there."**

 **Troy couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. "I trust both of you to use your heads."**

 **Moffitt handed Tully a slip of paper with Arabic writing on it. "You'll meet Makhi behind this bar at midnight."**

 **Hitch leaned over and looked at the paper. "What's it mean?"**

 **Tully said tentatively, "The Wet Horse?"**

 **Moffitt grinned. "Good try, Tully. It's called The Wet Donkey. Your code phrase is 'the desert shines brightest at night.' Makhi will answer with 'but only if the moon is full.'"**

 **Troy told them, "Remember, the Germans are there too and there's a price on all our heads. Tully, leave your helmet here."**

" **But, sarge…"**

" **No argument. It'll only draw attention to you."**

 **With a sigh Tully took his helmet off and handed it to Troy.**

 **#############################**

 **Hitch and Tully went into town over a back wall. The fewer people that saw them go in the better. They made their way to The Wet Donkey and stayed out of sight, waiting for their contact.**

 **Midnight came and a lone Arab walked out through the back door of the bar. A single light above the door illuminated the man.**

 **Hitch whispered, "Think that's him?"**

 **Tully nodded. "That's got to be him. We haven't seen anyone else."**

 **They walked into the alley behind the bar. Hitch and Tully stopped near the man and pretended to be discussing something with one another, during which Hitch quietly said, "The desert shines brightest at night."**

 **The Arab said, "But only if the moon is full."**

" **Makhi?"**

" **You are Troy's men?" Hitch and Tully both nodded. Makhi handed over an envelope and said, "You must hurry. I believe the Germans are suspicious."**

 **Tully took the envelope and tucked it inside his jacket. They were about to part ways when a single shot rang out and Makhi went down with a bullet in the forehead.**

 **The two privates didn't bother to look around. They took off at a run into the darkness of the alley. They stopped just before it opened onto the street and looked back. They could hear at least two heavy sets of boots running in their direction.**

 **Hitch said, "Street or hide?"**

 **Tully glanced behind them again and said, "Hide."**

 **They ducked behind some barrels and peered out as two German soldiers appeared out of the dark. They stopped where Hitch and Tully had been standing. After looking up and down the street, they both turned as if starting back up the alley. Unfortunately, one of the Germans got the bright idea to check behind the barrels.**

 **As he leaned around to look, Tully reached up, grabbed a handful of the German's shirtfront, and pulled him down onto his knife. When his partner turned to see what was going on, Hitch grabbed him from behind in a choke hold.**

 **After dragging the bodies behind the barrels, Hitch and Tully walked calmly but quickly out onto the street. As they hurried toward their exit, they spotted a squad of armed Germans coming in their direction.**

 **They stopped and Hitch whispered, "This is supposed to be neutral territory."**

 **Tully nodded slightly. "Apparently something's happened to change that. We'd better stay out of sight."**

 **#############################**

 **Troy paced back and forth in front of the jeep. "They're late."**

 **Moffitt checked his watch. "Only by a few minutes."**

" **I should've gone myself."**

" **You would've been spotted by one of the German sympathizers we know are in** **Ram-Allah. They would have turned you in for the reward."**

 **Troy huffed, "We're all wanted by the Germans, Moffitt."**

" **But you've always been the one to go in before. You would be expected. It's just not safe anymore.** **Makhi will take care of them.** **"**

" **It just feels like something isn't right this time."**

 **#############################**

 **Hitch and Tully ducked into another alley and jogged through to the other end. They looked out onto the street and saw that it was empty. As quickly as they could without running, Hitch and Tully headed for the back wall where they'd come in.**

 **As they got within sight of the wall, they saw more Germans and realized that they were sentries.**

 **Tully said, "We're going to have to find another way out."**

 **Hitch nodded. "There has to be somewhere that isn't being watched."**

 **They stayed in the alleys and carefully skirted anyone they saw. But their luck eventually ran out and they were seen by an Arab who raised the alarm.**

 **Hitch and Tully ran as bullets began to ricochet off the wall and street around them. They went down the first alley they came to and ducked into a doorway just in time to see four Germans run past. If it weren't for the fact that it was the middle of the night, they wouldn't have had a chance.**

 **Tully slid down the door to sit on the ground with a soft groan.**

 **Hitch quickly knelt next to him and asked, "What's wrong?"**

 **Tully touched the calf of his right leg and felt something wet. "I think I caught a bullet in the leg."**

 **Hitch said quietly, "Okay, stay here. I'm going to find a place for us to hide. Be right back."**

 **Before Tully could argue, Hitch was gone.**

 **It seemed like an awfully long time before Hitch returned and Tully was starting to worry. Then Hitch was next to him and said, "I found an unlocked window. Let's go."**

 **#############################**

 **Troy stared at the distant lights of** **Ram-Allah. "It's been too long. Something's gone wrong."**

 **Moffitt nodded. "I have to agree with you now. Shall we go take a look?"**

 **They each took a machine gun and slid the clips home.**

 **When they reached the wall near the gate, they saw two German soldiers on guard. Since the town was supposed to be neutral, it was normally unmanned.**

 **Moffitt whispered, "Looks like the Germans have taken over."**

 **Troy nodded. "Hitch and Tully must be stuck inside … if they haven't been captured. Let's find a way in."**

 **#############################**

 **With Hitch's help Tully made it through the window into a darkened room. Hitch slid the window closed and pulled the ragged curtain across it. He said quietly, "Okay, sit tight. I'm going to find some kind of light."**

 **After a bit of blindly rummaging around the small room, Hitch found a kerosene lamp and matches. He lit it and took it back to where Tully waited. He set it down on the floor and started to tear open Tully's pant leg. After examining the wound, Hitch said, "Bullet went through your calf. Messy, but not serious."**

 **Tully gritted his teeth as Hitch bandaged his leg. "Looks like this place isn't so neutral any more. We gotta find a way out."**

" **Yeah. I'll go take a look as soon as I'm done here."**

" **We should stay together."**

 **Hitch shook his head. "I can move faster on my own without drawing attention helping you walk. I'll be right back for you."**

 **Tully sighed as his friend tied off the field dressing. "Okay, but I'm going to be timing you. Five minutes max and I come after you."**

 **Hitch smiled. "Right. I'll be back in four."**

 **Tully waited until Hitch crossed the room to the only door, then blew out the lamp.**

 **#############################**

 **Troy and Moffitt climbed on top of the wall and stayed low in the darkness until they found a place where only one guard stood. They made sure there was no one else in sight and dropped down on him. The guard never knew what hit him.**

 **It was nearly 2am by now and Troy and Moffitt both knew they were running out of time. They moved into the nearest alley and went in search of their missing men.**

 **#############################**

 **Tully lit another match and checked his watch. It had been four minutes and fifteen seconds since Hitch had left. He blew the match out and shifted his weight in a futile attempt to find some comfort. Tully heard a sound at the door and pulled his knife from its sheath as it slowly opened.**

 **Pale lamplight shown in and Tully heard and unidentifiable whispered voice. He tensed, waiting to be discovered. Then he saw Hitch come in … with a girl.**

 **Hitch and his new friend hurried across the room to Tully, who frowned and said in a low voice, "You're late!"**

 **Hitch smiled. "Sorry. I found some help." He handed the lamp to the girl and reached down for Tully's hand to help him to his feet. "This is Imani. She and her friends are going to help us."**

 **Tully grimaced as he stood and put an arm around Hitch's shoulders. "Her friends?"**

" **Yeah. I'll explain as soon as we get to a safer place. Let's go."**

 **Imani led the way through what turned out to be an inn. They went up some back stairs and into one of the rooms on the second floor. Inside were ten other women.**

 **Hitch got Tully to a chair and Imani explained quietly, "We are part of the Sultan Hasan ibn al-Nu'man's harem. We are traveling east to trade with the Sultan Muhammad ibn Yezid. Our caravan stopped here last night, but we are now trapped here by the Germans."**

 **Tully asked, "Trapped how?"**

" **I overheard the sultan arguing with a German commander earlier. They have taken over and forced the local leaders out. No one can come in and no one goes out."**

" **Why are you helping us?"**

 **Imani replied, "Sultan Hasan ibn al-Nu'man does not believe in your war. However…" She gestured to the other girls in the room. "We do not think it is right to let the Germans have you. But do not get the wrong idea. If the sides were turned, we would help a German escape just as easily."**

 **Hitch was checking on Tully's leg and was glad to see that it had stopped bleeding. "Imani says she has a plan."**

 **Tully looked at Hitch with trepidation. "What kind of a plan?"**

 **#############################**

 **Troy and Moffitt worked their way through the town desperately looking for any sign of Hitch and Tully. They did find Makhi, still lying where he'd fallen.**

 **Troy quickly searched the informant, but found nothing—not that he expected to find anything. "I wonder if he was able to pass the information to Hitch and Tully before he was killed."**

 **Moffitt said, "We won't know that until we find them."**

 **The two sergeants went on with their search, not having a clue where the two privates might be or if they'd been taken prisoner. As they followed the alleyways and tried to stay out of sight of the growing number of Germans, they each ran scenarios through their minds and then rejected each. This was supposed to be neutral territory. How were the Germans able to just take over the town? Troy and Moffitt had to find their men and then escape as soon as possible. In a short few hours it would be daylight and would be harder to remain hidden.**

 **#############################**

 **Tully stared at Hitch with a frown. "You have got to be kidding me. That's the plan?"**

 **Hitch said, "There's no reason it won't work, Tully. What options do we have?"**

" **We could just wait for Troy and Moffitt to rescue us."**

" **Yeah, I thought of that too. But there's no guarantees they'll be able to.** **Ram-Allah is a good sized town and with Germans crawling all over…"**

 **Tully sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I get your point."**

 **Imani said, "You both will rest now. We can do nothing for several hours."**

" **What if the Sultan comes for a … visit?"**

" **He will not. We must be virgins if we are to be traded to the Sultan Muhammad ibn Yezid. If it was thought even for a moment that one of us had been with a man, there would much trouble."**

 **Hitch woke Tully, who was mildly amused at his friend's manner of dress. Hitch smiled and asked, "How's the leg?"**

 **Tully replied, "Throbs a bit, but not too bad."**

" **Okay, let's get you up and dressed. We have to go soon."**

 **#############################**

 **Troy and Moffitt had no luck finding any trace of Hitch and Tully.**

 **Reluctantly, Moffitt finally said, "It will be light soon. We need to get out of here."**

 **Troy shook his head. "We can't just leave them here."**

" **We aren't going to just leave them, Troy. We get out and figure out another plan of action. We need to know where they are before we can help them."**

 **Troy sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."**

 **Moffitt said with as much hope as he could muster, "Perhaps they're waiting for us at the jeeps."**

 **As they started to look for a safe place to go over the wall, the predawn call to prayer began. Troy and Moffitt were laying low across the street from an inn and watched a man dressed in richly ornate robes with guards on either side walk outside. Trailing them were twelve women dressed in traditional garb called** **chador that covered them from the neck down along with the head and face covering veils called niqab. The only thing that could be seen was the women's eyes.**

 **They watched as the group walked quickly towards the mosque. Moffitt made an observation, saying, "Troy, look at those two women in the middle."**

 **Not really paying attention to the group, Troy said, "What about 'em?"**

" **They're walking hunched over and … well, they're rather masculine looking."**

 **If the sultan noticed the two extra "women" in his harem, he said nothing. Imani and the other women stayed in a tight group around Hitch and Tully.**

 **Troy and Moffitt looked at each other in disbelief. Could they really be the two privates they were looking for?**

 **Moffitt said quietly, "Tully's limping."**

 **Troy furrowed his brow. "Are you sure that's Tully?"**

 **Moffitt smiled and nodded. "Looks like a sultan and his harem. They're going to morning prayer. Let's circle around to the back of the** **mosque while it's still dark enough to stay hidden and see what we can do."**

 **The two sergeants moved quickly and quietly until they came to a back door, which luckily wasn't locked.**

 **Once inside, Moffitt whispered, "The men and women are separated for prayers." He and Troy** **carefully peeked through a curtain. There was a large area where the men were. Then they saw a door on the other side. "I would say that's where the harem and other women of the village are."**

 **Troy nodded. "Let's go."**

 **They made their way around through the back passages until they came to the room they were looking for. But before they could get close enough, the door opened and the two tall "women" walked out, along with one other woman who was leading them.**

 **Troy and Moffitt followed until they got to a door to the outside, then they stepped out and showed themselves.**

 **Hitch turned and saw them first, pulled the** **niqab off his head, and in a surprised voice said, "Sarge! Moffitt!"**

 **Imani put a finger to her lips. "Shhh! Keep your voice down!"**

 **Tully started pulling his Arab garb off. "Can we get outta here now?"**

 **Imani took the clothing from the two men and shoved it into a curtained alcove. "You must go quickly before prayers end." She looked around nervously. "I must go back now. Good luck."**

 **Hitch said, "Thank you, Imani. You risked a lot to help us."**

 **Tully smiled. "Thanks for your help."**

 **Imani smiled beneath her** **niqab** **. "You must go now."**

 **Hitch grabbed Tully and helped him limp out the door behind Troy and Moffitt.**

 **Imani hurried back to the room the other women were in. As she reached the door, she turned and locked eyes with Sultan Hasan ibn al-Nu'man. She had a moment of panic, but then the sultan gave her a slight smile and nod. Imani ducked her head and went into the room.**

 **#############################**

 **Without a word between them, Troy and Moffitt led the way to find a place at the wall where they could get over unnoticed. However, that was easier said than done. The sky was getting lighter and it was more dangerous for them when Troy decided to take measures that he was trying to avoid.**

 **Troy stayed low and got to the wall unseen, then he slid along with his back tight against it until he was near enough to the guard to reach out and touch him. Which is what Troy did. He tapped the guard on the shoulder and when he turned, the sergeant slammed the butt of the machine gun into the guard's face.**

 **Troy waved Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully over. First Hitch boasted Troy up onto the wall, followed by Moffitt. Then they got Tully over, followed by Hitch.**

 **When Tully dropped off the wall he landed wrong and was unable to put weight on his injured leg when he stood. He could feel the wounds start to bleed again. Moffitt and Hitch each put an arm around him to help get him to the jeeps.**

 **They got Tully seated in the passenger seat with his leg up over the dash as Troy handed Moffitt a med kit and said, "Hitch, go up on the hill and see if anyone's coming." He leaned on the hood of the jeep. "Okay, Tully, what happened?"**

 **Tully reached into his jacket and brought out the envelope. He handed it to Troy and said, "Makhi is dead."**

 **The sergeant took it. "Yeah, we saw the body."**

" **Everything went to hell as soon as he handed over that envelope. The Germans took over the town and ousted the local government. They aren't letting anyone in or out. If Imani and the others hadn't helped us, I'm not sure we would've gotten out."**

 **Moffitt had removed the bloody field dressing from Tully's leg and looked at the two wounds. "How did this happen?"**

" **Right after Makhi handed over the envelope, he was shot in the head. Hitch and I ran, but it was like they were waiting for us. I think it was a ricocheted bullet that got me."**

 **Moffitt nodded. "As soon as the bleeding stops, I'll clean it up and bandage it."**

 **Hitch returned from the hilltop and said, "Nothing's moving, sarge. I don't think they know we got out." He looked at Tully. "How's the leg?"**

 **Tully nodded. "It stings some, but not too bad."**

 **Troy said, "I want you two to know that I'm real proud of the way you handled yourselves on this one. I admit that I was a little apprehensive about sending you in, but you proved just how smart and resourceful you both can be."**

 **Moffitt started to clean Tully's wounds. "That goes for me too. I'm not surprised at what you did when the plan went wrong, but I'm glad you're both on our side."**

 **Tully grimaced. "Thanks … but if you're so glad, why the heck are you using so much alcohol?"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "Sorry. Just want to make sure you don't get an infection before we get you to a doctor."**

 **Hitch asked, "Is there anything we can do to help** **Ram-Allah? It seems wrong to leave it in the hands of the Germans."**

 **Troy nodded. "There's nothing we can do right now, but we'll report it to Captain Boggs. I'm sure the allies will do something about it." He grinned at the two privates. "By the way. Since this was your mission, you two get to write the report."**

 **Hitch's eyes grew big. "We've never written a report before. I for one have no idea…"**

 **Tully smiled as he interrupted Hitch, "Don't worry, I have some inside help." The other three looked at him. "Charley writes reports all the time. I'll ask her to help us out."**

" **You think she will?"**

" **If I ask the right way she will."**

 **Moffitt finished off the bandage with a knowing grin and Troy chuckled as he said, "All right, let's go home."**


End file.
